Eleanor O. Brown

GRANITEVILLE - Eleanor Olive Brown, 78, of Pirie Road passed away on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin with her loving family at her bedside.

Born January 18, 1940 at the family farmhouse in Rye, NH, she was the daughter of Eldon and Edna (Snell) Howard. She loved her summers and weekends spent at the family farm surrounded by animals and running through the fields with her sister Marjorie. One of her favorite pastimes was roller skating on the sidewalks in Concord with neighborhood friends. In junior high, she worked babysitting and cabin cleaning for the Sanborns in Chichester, NH where we suspect she decided that housework and raising a lot of children was something she really enjoyed. Eleanor graduated Concord High School with her focus in business and secretarial sciences and enjoyed her role on the basketball team.

On February 24, 1957, she married the love of her life, Charles Brown in Chichester, NH. After their marriage, they lived in several different states to accommodate Charles' military assignments. She always found a church in the area, sang in the choir, and volunteered in any way she could. In 1968, her dream of returning to New England, living on a small farm, raising children and never having to move again came true. To quote her husband, "I bought Eleanor a horse and they threw in the farm."

Eleanor was an active member of the Websterville Baptist Church for 47 years where she was a deaconess and sang in the choir faithfully. She and her best friend, Madeline Shute, sang duets with guitars at church and nursing homes. Eleanor also taught kindergarten and fulfilled office duties for the Websterville Baptist School for many years. She also worked at the Perfect Fit Dress Shop.

She extended a wing to anyone who needed help and the extended family she gathered could always count on her to pull them through the tough times. Her family never wanted for love and affection- she was always a part of family fun and games. Family pets of all kinds, especially horses and horseback riding were very dear to her. Eleanor's love and commitment to her husband were an example to everyone, a love that lasted over 60 years.

Survivors include her husband, Charles K. Brown of Graniteville; her son David Tosi and his wife, Marilyn, of Utica, NY; her daughter Debra Brown Martin and her husband, Bruce, of Williamstown; her son Charles K. Brown, Jr., and his wife Anne, of Barre Town; her daughter Brenda Brown Lewallen of Northfield; her son Andrew Brown and his wife, Wendy, of Barre Town; and her brother John Howard and his wife, Shirley, of Concord, NH. Eleanor’s grandchildren include Eric Nelson Brown (Kim), Charles M. Brown, Samantha Walsh (Luke), Toby Luman (Kiley), Sam Tosi (Suad), Amanda Barber (Phillip), Allison Kittredge (Jordan), and Eric Thompson. Eleanor was blessed with several great-grandchildren, Emma and Hannah Brown, Jesse Brown Carrier, Owen Thompson, Jackson Brown, Hayden Barber, Kason and Kyla Kittredge, Grace Townsend, and Mikaela Townsend, whose daughter Sophia is Eleanor’s great-great-grandchild, as well as niece Darlene Howard Duetsch (Peter).

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her sister, Marjorie Frizzell.

A heartfelt thank you to the case managers and caregivers who helped her stay at home- it meant the world to her and the family.

The service to honor and celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. at the White Chapel on the Norwich University Campus, Main Street, Northfield. Family and friends may call on Thursday, February 8 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy Street, Barre. For a memorial guestbook, visit www.hookerwhitcomb.com

To honor her memory, contributions may be made to the Websterville Christian Academy Scholarship Fund, PO Box 1, Websterville, VT 05678.